The San Antonio Spurs have already drafted a player out of Great Britain with Ryan Richards and 
it seems they might be interested in another.
The Spurs worked out forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning out of Great Britain, London and from the University of Washington:
Bryan-Amaning has been projected as a possible late second-round choice when the annual Draft takes place on June 23 in Newark, following an impressive stint at the University of Washington.
He has also held private work-outs with the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trailblazers and New York Knicks in a bid to make his case for selection.
Amaning is a 6’9″, 240 lbs., forward who averaged 15.3 points, shot 54.6% from the field, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks in 28.2 minutes for the Huskies last season.
Looking at Bryan-Amaning’s game, there is a stark contrast in the style of offensive play he employed in college compared to what he’d have a chance at doing in the NBA initially. Bryan-Amaning relies heavily on a somewhat unrefined back-to-the-basket game at the moment, one he’s not terribly efficient with but shows some nice flashes. He is extremely quick for a player his size and is capable of beating many players laterally in the low and mid post, while his length and creativity allow him to finish from multiple angles around the rim. Still, ultimately this area of his game is still unpolished and not yet consistent.
While Bryan-Amaning’s post game is somewhat interesting in the long term and is a nice luxury to have, he scored just 0.79 points per shot on back-to-the-basket shots this season according to Synergy, and that is the primary reason his field goal percentage wasn’t much higher. In contrast, Bryan-Amaning scored an outstanding 1.34 points per shot on non-post-up shots around the basket in the half court, largely due to his excellent combination of length, athleticism, functional strength, and soft hands.
Looking to the NBA, what Bryan-Amaning is best equipped to contribute offensively is finishing on cuts, pick-and-rolls, offensive rebounds, and getting out in transition, where he can use his athletic tools and coordination to create high percentage shots at the basket. Combined with his high motor on this end of the floor, this creates a good groundwork for a useful skill set.
The biggest area offensively that Bryan-Amaning could help himself is developing a more reliable perimeter jump shot. (draftexpress.com)
The Spurs already have a forward in the same mold as Amaning with DeJuan Blair and need more of a center than a forward right now. But what do you think Spurs fans? If his name is still on the board when the Spurs select at 29 in the upcoming NBA Draft, would you like to see his name announced?
(photo: daylife.com)
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